MOUNT VERNON — There was a time within the memory of many people living today when The People’s Republic of China was referred to as “The Big Blank Space.” Communist China was not recognized by the United States and was a mystery to many in this country. Now, China is a major world economic power, yet few in this country know anything about it except that many of the things worn, watched and eaten come from that country.
One family from Knox County, however, has a little more insight into life in China. The Robert Coleman family of Mount Vernon recently returned from a visit to China.
Fletcher Coleman, a son of Robert and Vicki Coleman, is a student at Swarthmore College near Philadelphia. A double major in Mandarin Chinese and art history, Fletcher was spending a semester abroad in China interviewing Chinese modern art students and studying Mandarin Chinese, the most-used dialect in that country.
“The language school was, oddly enough, in the Capitol University of Business and Economics,” said Bob. “Within that school was the department of foreign languages.”
“He’s a junior and he took Mandarin Chinese, a real intense course. He took four courses,” said Vicki.
There on a grant to interview the students, Fletcher spent the first five weeks on that project. This provided the family with a rare opportunity to visit Fletcher and see a country many people in the United States have never seen, and in fact, still know very little about.
“From my point of view, it was highly unlikely that I would have the opportunity in my lifetime to make a trip like this,” Bob said. “We had Fletcher, who spoke fluent Chinese and knew where to go, as a personal tour guide and translator. And I have to say I was encouraged, having gone through cancer, not to procrastinate.”
The trip lasted 16 days, from Dec. 8 through Dec. 23, 2007. Although that time frame could not give an indepth idea of the workings and daily life of the Chinese, it did give the Colemans a peek at what the looming giant is like.
“They were very friendly,” was Vicki’s first reaction upon meeting the people. “They liked to have their pictures taken with us. Fletcher said it was because they didn’t see a lot of foreigners.”
“Sixteen days is just not enough,” Bob said.
“It’s huge,” Vicki added.
“You have no idea. Imagine traveling from Cleveland to Columbus,” Bob continued. “And it was all city. Skyscrapers. Fletcher said it was 4,000 skyscrapers. It was unreal.”
The Colemans visited several cities, starting with Beijing, China’s capitol. They took a train from Beijing to Hangzhou, known as the prettiest city in China. The visit also included a trip to Shanghai.
One of the highlights of the trip was the chance to experience authentic Chinese food.
“I would say the worst Chinese food we had over there was better than the best Chinese food we have in this country,” Bob said. “Except for one Chinese restaurant we found in Washington, D.C., about five years ago. That one equals China. But that’s all it does, equals China. It doesn’t better it.”
Bob describes himself as being a recreational eater and said he was delighted with the variety of food he encountered in China. But that doesn’t mean he tried everything.
“There were some things we didn’t eat because we were concerned about the preparation,” Bob said. “Hygiene is definitely different in China than it is here. Over there, normal is completely different than here.”
Although the Colemans did not get a chance to meet a whole lot of people, they did observe a lot of the different strata of life in modern-day China. In spite of all the building going on and the attempts at modernization, they said the majority of the people seemed to be poor.
“We didn’t have any bad experiences with the people,” said Vicki. “They seemed pretty poor, most of them seemed like they were just trying to make it. I suppose there are some wealthy ones, but you don’t see them.”
“There seems to be a fairly intense distinction between classes,” Bob noted. “There is a very poor group of people, a very rich group of people and a middle class. The people we came in contact with were a lot like us. And I don’t think there is a lot of difference the world around. I think this is a time of struggle for a lot of people everywhere.
“What is really amazing is the amount of capitalism that goes on there,” said Bob. “The government has come to realize that they are being supported by taxes and the people. So they are not messing with the middle class that much because the middle class is bringing in an incredible amount of money. The GNP over there is huge. Everything is huge. That’s what’s happening in this country, except the people are resentful of paying the piper when they see where the money is going.”
Coleman added that the government, although still Communist, is giving the people a lot of leeway. However, he said, there is that aspect of life — that a casual tourist would not see — about the relationship between the government and the people.
“Fletcher says all this good behavior you see here is based on fear,” Bob said. “It’s not like what goes on here.”
“There’s almost no crime at all,” Vicki said. “Fletcher said he feels so safe. I don’t think they are allowed to have guns.”
“But with governments like that, there’s an uncertainty. You just don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring,” said Bob. “And that’s part of the game, where they like to keep the population on edge like that.”
Economically, Bob likens China to Japan at the end of World War II. At that time the term “Made in Japan” meant cheap and shoddy goods. But that is not the case today. Coleman feels China is on the verge of coming out of the reputation for making cheap goods.
“It’s a little like the Wild West,” Coleman said. “There’s a lot of blatant rip-off. They don’t have a high regard for patents and copyrights. I think they are working on it. And they have draconian answers for those who get out of line. They bump them off.”
Based on his observations, Bob has a warning.
“Anyone who discounts China is like an ostrich with its head in the sand,” he said. “And if they don’t take their head out of the sand, they will be in big trouble.”
